Kittitas County, Washington
Kittitas County ( is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of 2010, the population was 40,915. Its county seat is Ellensburg, which is also the county's largest city. There are numerous interpretations of the name, which is from the language of the Kittitas American Indian language. According to one source, it "has been said to mean everything from 'white chalk' to 'shale rock' to 'shoal people' to 'land of plenty'. Most anthropologists and historians concede that each interpretation has some validity depending upon the particular dialect spoken." Kittitas County officially separated from Yakima County in 1884. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.54%) is water. The highest point in the county is Mount Daniel at above sea level. Geographic features *Cascade Mountains *Columbia River *Manastash Ridge *Wenatchee Mountains *Yakima Canyon Major highways * Interstate 82 * Interstate 90 * U.S. Route 97 Adjacent counties *Chelan County, Washington - north *Douglas County, Washington - northeast *Grant County, Washington - east *Yakima County, Washington - south *Pierce County, Washington - west *King County, Washington - northwest National protected areas *Snoqualmie National Forest (part) *Wenatchee National Forest (part) Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 33,362 people, 13,382 households, and 7,788 families residing in the county. The population density was 14 people per square mile (6/km²). There were 16,475 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.77% White, 0.71% Black or African American, 0.91% Native American, 2.19% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 2.30% from other races, and 1.97% from two or more races. 5.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 19.4% were of German, 11.7% English, 9.0% Irish, 7.8% United States or American and 6.6% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000. 93.2% spoke English and 4.5% Spanish as their first language. There were 13,382 households out of which 26.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.80% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.80% were non-families. 28.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.90. In the county, the population was spread out with 20.60% under the age of 18, 21.60% from 18 to 24, 24.60% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 98.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,546, and the median income for a family was $46,057. Males had a median income of $36,257 versus $25,640 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,928. About 10.50% of families and 19.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.60% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over. Flora and fauna There are a variety of species represented within Kittitas County. These include a diversity of grasses, herbs, trees, birds, mammals and amphibians. The genus of ricegrass known as Oryzopsis was one of the earliest grasses classified within the county.Charles Vancouver Piper (1906) Flora of the State of Washington, Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC Among the amphibian species found are the Cascades frog and the Rough-skinned Newt, the latter being a common far western USA taxon; in fact, examples of neoteny have been found in individual newts of this species within the county.C. Michael Hogan (2008) Rough-skinned Newt ("Taricha granulosa"), GlobalTwitcher, ed. N. Stromberg http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=43182 Census-recognized communities *Cle Elum *Easton *Ellensburg *Kittitas *Ronald *Roslyn *Snoqualmie Pass *South Cle Elum *Thorp *Vantage Other communities *Doris *Liberty *Rocklyn *Suncadia *Teanaway *Thrall See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Kittitas County, Washington References External links * Kittitas County official website * The Frederick Krueger Photograph Collection The Frederick Krueger Collection contains images of the Upper Kittitas Valley of Washington State from the 1880s to the 1960s. The images, scanned from photographic prints, glass negatives and rare publications, visually document the communities of Cle Elum, Roslyn and other towns and villages in western Kittitas County. The collection also focuses upon mining, logging and fur trapping in the region during the late 19th Century and early 20th Century. Further reading * Available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection Category:Kittitas County, Washington Category:Counties of Washington (state) Category:Established in 1883